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Hi Bob (RJHall). I don't recall seeing any suggestion that Vega is a delta Scuti. Do you have a reference? But Altair definitely is, we showed this using the WIRE satellite (Retter et al.). Timb6623:37, 12 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Timb66. The Vega article includes the following reference regarding its variability:
The article first states ".. becomes more ionised, which is more opaque." which ties up with ".. the star has highly ionised opaque helium in its atmosphere ..". However, it goes on to say "The energy .. causes the helium to heat up, expand, ionise, become more transparent .." (my emphasis). It can't ionise any more if it is already fully ionised, and if only partially ionised, further ionisation would make it more opaque according to the previous sentence. My understanding is that once fully ionised (He++), the expansion on heating reduces the opacity but can this wording be clarified by someone more familiar with the details of the mechanism.
George Dishman (talk) 11:16, 29 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I'm by no means an expert, but the reading I've done suggests that the helium is ionized when the star is at its smallest and hottest, but when at its maximal radius, the helium is de-ionized, which makes the helium transparent. I can make the necessary edits if the explanation is satisfactory? Patchworkpieces (talk) 01:43, 7 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It seems likely to me that the high heat of the opaque helium would cause it to rise rapidly. Then when it reaches the top and expands, it would cool and become transparent again. This could lead to a convection cycle which is more powerful than normal hydrogen convection. Thereaverofdarkness (talk) 05:05, 11 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]